Improved railway-chair



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcEf JOHN `W. DRAPER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAVARE,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ARTHUR C. STOWELL.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-CHAIR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N04. 57,816, datedSeptember 4, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. W. DRAPER, of Wilmin `gtomDelaware, have inventedan Improvement in Railroad-Chairs; and I do hereby declare the followingto be full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters. of referencemarked thereon. l

My invention consists ot' a railway-chair constructed, as fullydescribed hereinafter, so that the rail, chair, and sleeper may bequickly and firmly secured together.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and apply myinvention, I will now proceed to describe the manner oi' carrying itinto effect.

On reference to the accompanying` drawings, which form a part of thisspeciiication, Figure l is a side view of my improved railway-chair withthe rails contined to the same; Fig. 2, a pla-n View of Fig. l, Fig. 3,a transverse section on the line l 2, Fig. l; and Fig. 4, a plan viewot' a portion ot' the chair.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The chair consists of three partsthe plate A and the two cheeks C C'.The plate A is of wrought-iron, -and is bent down at the opposite endsso as to form two anges, et a', Fig. 1,in which are holes x. The plateis laid transversely on a sleeper, X, the iianges a ct' fitting snuglyto the sides of the sleeper, to which the plate is then secured byspikes, which are driven through the openings a. In the center of theplate is a recess or depression, b, adapted for the reception ot' thebases of the rails B B', and at each side of the recess b portions ofthe plate are bent upward so as to form lugs ,c c c' c', the inner facesof which are inclined or beveled, as shown in Fig. 3 ot the drawings. i

The'lower edges ofthe cheeks C C' are beveled to correspond with theinclined faces of the lugs c c', beneath which they tit, While theirinner faces are adapted or nearly adapted to the sides of the rails. Thecheeks are retained in contact with the rails by bolts D D',

each of'which passes through openings in the cheeks and through a slotin one of the rails, and has at its outer end a nut, e. The tighteningof the nuts has a tendency to force the lower ends ot the cheeks outwardand cause them to bind hard against theilugs c c', dto.

When it is necessary to remove one or both the rails, the `bolts D D'are withdrawn, and the cheeks are detached by moving them upward in thedirection of the arrows, Fig. 3, after which the rails may be liftedfrom the plate.

In chairs of the ordinary construction the rails are generally securedby means of bolts, the strains and jars on which are apt to loosen thenuts. The ordinary chairs also are secured to the sleepers by spikes,which are driven vertically through openings in the chair into thesleeper, so that in a comparatively short time the constant jarsoccasioned by the passage of trains over the rails loosens the spikes,and sometimes displaces the chairs.

In'the above-described chair, although the cheeks C C' are contined tothe rails by bolts D D', the nlatter are not in a position to beaffected by shocks or jars, the main strains to which the chair issubjected being received by the lugs c c'.

By inserting the spikes laterally through the anges t a' into thesleeper, their `withdrawal by the ordinary strains and jars isefi'ectually prevented, and the necessity of constantly employinglaborers to examine the chairs, replace lost spikes, and secure thosewhich are loose is avoided.

The combination of the plate A, its beveled lugs cc', cheeks C O', andbolts D D', the whole being constructed, arranged, and adapted to therail substantially as and for thev purpose specied.

In testimony whereof'I have signed my name to this 'specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. DRAPER.

